Police Chase Ends With Several Children In The Hospital

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) - One look at the two mangled cars in the middle of the street on the 1800 Block of Northwest 6th Street in Fort Lauderdale shows the severe impact when they hit.

Three children and two adult women were riding in a white Hyundai, when they became victims of a desperate driver trying to outrun police in Broward County.

Wanda Jackson was standing nearby and says she saw the whole scene. She says the black Charger with three men inside raced down a residential street, right next to a Sistrunk area park—deputies hot on their tail. She says the Charger ran a stop sign and slammed into the Hyundai.

"It sounded like a terrible bang. It was terrible," Jackson told CBS4's Natalia Zea.

The Broward Sheriff's Office says the chase started with a simple traffic stop in Pompano Beach around 6:00 p.m. Monday.

They say the driver of the Charger sped up to try to run over two deputies.

Jackson says the children in the Hyundai all appeared to be under five years old and they were hurt in the crash.

"The little boy was turned upside down, and I took him out and I was holding him and I grabbed the other two out of the seatbelts to get them out of the car," she said.

One of the three suspects broke his leg and was also taken to a hospital.

Many witnesses here say police should have given up the chase, when they saw the neighborhood they were in.

"All these kids were out here playing, they jeopardized kid's lives," said Jackson.

Another witness Melvin Mills agrees.

"For me they should've called this off  'cause they had the helicopter in the sky- this could have been prevented."

A BSO spokesperson says they had to chase the car because the men tried to commit murder against two deputies.  She says the Deputies are trained to maneuver in a situation like this.

The three men are facing a number of charges.